Senior Pictures
This year we had the opportunity to photograph a large number of seniors from our local high school. 
Unfortunately most of them came to me about two weeks before the yearbook deadline and none of them had time to do a pre-session consultation. I was able to capture some great images for them but I know from experience that preparation makes a great session a fantastic one. So I thought I’d put together a list of 9 easy steps you can take to help make your child’s senior portrait session a complete success.
Step One:
Go through magazines and find a style you like. Have you senior do the same. It’s very important to do this step separately and don’t show each other the results. Doing it this way insures that your opinions don’t overshadow what your senior wants, and helps the photographer know what you’re looking for too. A good photographer will be able to shoot both styles and make everyone happy.
Step Two:
Know what you don’t want. Communicating what you don’t want is vital to the success of your child’s portrait session. In my experience most teens don’t last more than an hour in front of the lens without showing signs of fatigue. So wasting precious time on image you don’t want means less time on images that really showcases who your child is.
Step Three:
Be there for your child. What most people don’t really think about is that teens are constantly swimming in a sea of insecurities. They may not show it but that’s the reality. Putting a camera in their face really turns up the volume on their insecurities. A good photographer will sense this and knows how to make the teen more comfortable but having a parent there makes it quicker and easier. If you can’t attend the session – have another adult be your stand in. IF it’s someone your child trusts, the result will be the same.
Step Four: Hair & Makeup
Let me be upfront about this. Most seniors spend a fair amount of money on their portraits and for some it’s the only professional portrait they’ve ever had. So spending $40 or so on having a salon do their hair and makeup is really not to out of line. Professional hair and makeup really takes any portrait and gives it that WOW factor. Makeup is one of those things that you may not notice when it’s there but you really notice when it isn’t. Oh, don’t forget…guys aren’t exempt from needing a little help too. In my experience a bit of powder foundation works wonders on anyone.
Step Five
Don’t forget the basics.
Have you teen get a good night’s sleep. Photoshop can fix most things – but photographers will charge extra for this service. The other fix for fatigue is putting Hemorrhoid cream under the eyes… if you ask me I’d rather get some sleep.
Step Six
Stay hydrated. It always amazes me what being dehydrated does to a complexion. To put it into perspective, mummies, zombies and prunes all suffer from various levels of dehydration.
Step Seven
Keep the wardrobe simple. Clothes that are in style now may make you child cringe when they see it twenty years later. Case in point, I’ve got a photo of myself in a grey tweed suit with a hot pink shirt and a skinny white tie. I was a total victim of Miami Vice.
Step Eight
Watch shirts with low necklines. Shooting from above is a very flattering angle for most but if the neckline is too low you can’t photograph from that angle for obvious reasons. This is really a shame because some of the most compelling images are shot from that angle.
Step Nine
Choose your photographer by their portfolio.
Most people assume incorrectly that any photographer can shoot anything. But what people don’t realize is that each type of photography needs a photographer with different skills and equipment. You wouldn’t hire an aerial photography to shoot your wedding. So don’t choose a portrait photographer simply because they have the camera. Look at their work and ask yourself if they shoot the style you’re looking for. If you don’t see that style in their portfolio refer to step one and ask them to show you what they have in that style. After seeing more of their work, If they don’t have what you’re looking for, don’t use them. It’s as simple as that.
So there you have it, those are the nine steps I’ll be using to help my own daughters pick their senior portrait photographers… (No, I won’t be shooting my own kids senior portraits. The reason for that will be a subject for an upcoming blog titled “Things I’d rather do than take my children’s portraits:” or ”The DSLR VS. ADHD”
Daniel
